“I am like you. I am also a soldier. But now it’s time to lay down our weapons” said the man as he put down his gun on the ground in front of the general. He held up a banner with a picture of a gun crossed over with an X. The scene took place in the Training of Trainers of nonviolence, a ten day training organized by Onad (Organization for Nonviolence and Development), in Juba in the end of November and beginning of December 2012. The aim of the training is to arm ourselves, not with deadly weapons, but with ideas and nonviolent methods to transform our society, and the world, to a world in peace and justice.

This time it was the seventh or eighth time I have co-facilitated a workshop in co-operation with Onad. It has been, and is still, a privilege to be on the journey of peace together. At my first visit to Sudan in 2005 I got a wooden figure with a spear in his hand. I was a little bit surprised because what I was given by a nonviolent organization was a warrior! After having arrived home to Sweden, unpacking my bag, I noticed that the spear of the wooden warrior had broken during the trip. Initially I was sad that my gift had broken, but the more I thought about it, the better I felt. Here was a nation of war, of fighting, of oppression. And out of it came a few brave individuals who said no. They said: “We refuse to fight anymore. We will start using nonviolence instead”. So they disarmed themselves like my wooden figure now was disarmed. And they founded Sonad and trained others to do the same. A witness from this transformation comes from a participant from one of Sonad’s nonviolent conflict transformation trainings in Magwi: “I used to fight. I liked to use violence, because I wanted to be seen as a strong man. But I was suffering too. Now I have found that there is another way to achieve my goals and I am really grateful for this. I don’t have to fight anymore.”

Coming to South Sudan made me think of a story in the life of Martin Luther King. The civil rights movement, which he belonged to, had had a few victories in 1964 for the rights of the African Americans. Now they wanted voting rights for all people in the US. At a meeting between King and President Lyndon Johnson, King explained for the president the next steps for equal rights. The president said to King that he agreed about the importance of this but it was politically impossible to make this change earlier than at least five years. “Be patient” the president told King. “We have been patient for 300 years. We won’t wait any longer.” said King and left the White house. The civil rights movement arranged the march from Selma to Montgomery and five months later the Voting Rights Act was passed. By taking the power in their own hands the people achieved the seemingly impossible. I sense the same urgency in South Sudan. I have heard many here who have said that you have waited long enough; for peace, for justice, for clean water and hospitals. I hear that you are tired of war, of violence, of feeling hopelessness. With the tools of nonviolence we can together transform Sudan, South Sudan, Sweden, Canada and the rest of the world into a place that is better for everyone, a place where we see the humanity of the other and stand up for the rights of all. Martin Smedjeback, nonviolent trainer from Sweden

(This article will also be published in the newsletter of Onad - Organisation for Nonviolence and Development)